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091216 - Just One Death
Just before Duck's thirteenieth birthday. LL: You awaken, as you do every morning, to the sound of Reveille being played over the loud speaker system. While you don't have to participate in the military stuff your Dad does like your other siblings, you still can't manage to sleep through it. Almost immediately after, you can hear your father's voice ranting about the "HORNED MENACE" and how all trolls and half-trolls should be exterminated, t LL: o protect the GOOD HUMANS OF EARTH. He goes on like this every morning. AC: Duck can feel herself beginning to frown, clutching at her pillow and stubbornly trying to ignore the noise. It's a futile attempt, but she tries. Eventually Duck sighs and sits up in bed, looking around her room. Time for breakfast then? LL: Indeed. She can smell the food already, the usual meal of eggs, bacon, biscuits, sausage gravy, pancakes, syrup, fruit, and everything else under the sun being set up for the half-a-dozen or so kids that live here. AC: She pulls back the covers leaning over the edge of her bed to grab the sweatshirt she threw there when she got too hot. Duck keeps her gaze firmly turned away from the mirror until she has the sweatshirt and accompanying skirt in place. After braiding her hair, she heads out to dining room. Is her father done talking yet? She always tunes him out... LL: No, he probably won't be done talking until you're done with breakfast. AC: Well she's tuned him out every morning before this one, she can tune him out during this one too. Duck takes a seat at the table, helping herself to fruit while she takes a few pancakes. What was it that the other kids do while dad drones on again? LL: Most of them are forced into "MILITARY TRAINING" starting at a young age. He wants them ready to fight the trolls at any moment, so they're probably standing at attention in the yard, like they have to do every morning LL: They will get breakfast once he's done. You usually eat first. AC: She hums into a bite of pancake, grabbing some eggs and bacon quickly. She never really understood why she wasn't with them, obviously it gave her more time to dance but... Duck ponders the question as she finishes up her breakfast, wiping her mouth before standing from her seat. LL: Breakfast is over for you, and your father finishes his litany, before announcing that he'd like you to meet him in his office, and dismissing the others to breakfast. AC: Well this is new. Maybe. She can't remember the last time he called her to his office. A nervous frown forms on her lips, and she heads toward her dad's office, twisting her braid in her hands. Standing before the door she takes a moment to gather her courage, and knocks gently. LL: "Enter," He calls. AC: Duck quietly opens the door and enters the office, willing her trembling hands to still as she closes the door. Oh goodness she hopes she's not in trouble. Duck turns to face him, standing demurely in front of his desk. If he has one. LL: He does. It's a large, oaken thing, with a collection of troll horns mounted along the edge directly in front of you. One for each troll he personally killed. Behind him, are pictures of fallen humans, his friends from the war, and the troll that killed them's severed head, mounted like a stuffed deer beside it. The most terrifying of them is a blue-blooded troll with long black hair. On one side LL: of her stuffed head is a framed portrait of Queen Lila, and on the other, a framed portrait of one of your dad's friends, Milo Howser. Other walls have propaganda posters, that say things like "The only good troll is a dead troll." and another that says "There's no such thing as half-breeds, only full traitors", with a photo of your father setting fire to a pile of half-breed babies, while militar LL: y troops cheer him on. Kyle's hands are folded in his lap, and he gives you a warm, affectionate smile. "Hello, Duck. Did you have a good morning?" AC: Duck looks firmly keeps her gaze away from the walls, her fingers clenching in her skirt. When she speaks her voice is incredibly soft, simply a lack of volume behind her words. "Yes, breakfast was lovely ah, um.. lonely though.." AC: The last part is mumbled. LL: He nods. "Yes. sorry, got to keep discipline in the troops." Kyle smiles, and lets his eyes flick to a newspaper framed on one wall, the one announcing Queen Lila's assassination. "Your birthday is coming up." AC: The smile is returned with Duck's own tembling version before its gone from her face. She blinks in surprise, her voice nervous, "Is it that time again already?" LL: "Yes, but I think it's time we had a chat about your future." He motions to the seat across from him, a chair made out of troll-leather, with troll horn accents. AC: She sits in the offered chair, gingerly and on the edge of the seat pulling lightly on her skirt. LL: "I know you've expressed a desire to dance, and I have always been very supportive of that as a hobby. But I think the time has come for you to learn about your mother." AC: Oh. "That um, I, um, won't have stop will I?" Finally being told about her mother sounds like uh, a problem. She's being handed um. LL: "You won't have to stop dancing, but you'll have other responsibilities to balance with it." He smiles. "You're ready for more responsibility, aren't you?" AC: Her body tenses, freezing for a moment before she's curling her fingers tightly in her skirt. "I, uh maybe? What. What sort of responsibilities?" Her voice squeaks on the word. LL: "Well, leading the people of Earth in the war against the trolls, for one. With me to help, of course." AC: Was it getting hard to breath in here for anyone else? She looks at him, her eyes widening. "Why, why would I being doing that? I'm um, I'm not,, a leader? That's... maybe.. like Mute?" LL: Kyle smiles. "Mute's a good boy, but he's not the only child of Queen Lila. That's you." AC: "I'm wha t," her voice cracks, and her shoulders hunch. She felt a little sick actually. "That's, that's Prince Tutu I. I'm not?" LL: "Yes, it is. Though I suppose you are Princess Tutu, in truth." He smiles. "And the time has come for you to prepare to take your crown, once you reach adulthood. The entire resistance is eager to see you at the forefront of our armies, driving back those hell-beasts." AC: Duck seems to be clutcing her skirt almost hard enough to rip the fabric as she stares at him. The chair and other items in the room suddenly seem that much more threatening, did one of the stuffed heads just move? "D-dad I'm, I'm not a fighter I can't.. I can't be at the front of armies I." AC: There's a hint of tears. LL: "I know, Duck, I know. I won't expect you to actually fight. When I say at the front, I mean, inspiring our people, just like your mother did. She only ever killed one troll, and that was to prove her sincerity. And that's all you'll have to do, my love. Kill one troll." AC: She can inspire, she can do tha- what. Duck slowly shakes her head, she looks to be rooted to her seat by nerves, "..can't, I don't. I can't, they haven't.. ever hurt.. me?" She frowns at the ground, because if what her dad was saying was true then.. they did hurt her didn't they? LL: "They killed your mother. They killed your father. They killed every single one of your mother and I's friends, save Lucy, who turned traitor. They intend to kill every single one of your friends, your siblings." AC: Somehow Duck manages to hunch her shoulders even further, looking smaller and smaller in her seat. "They haven't. They haven't found us yet..?" LL: "They did. It was only a scout, and we have to kill him regardless to prevent him from reporting our location. I think you should do it, to help rally your people, and show them you live. If you can manage that, I'll give you your birthday present early." AC: Duck scrunches up her sweater sleeve, and wipes at her eyes. Her voice is quietly bitter, "Will they accept a Princess doing it rather than a Prince?" LL: "Yes. Because I'm also going to introduce your birthday present as part of the video we're going to leak." He grins. AC: She looks at him curiously, her eyes rimmed a little red. "If I. Um. If I have to.. can I have someone be there um can. I mean.. royals do stand-ins don't they?" LL: "They have body doubles, sometimes. But this is something you need to do. Don't worry, We'll make it very easy for you." AC: That's not what she's worried about, that's not what she's worried about all. "...can Mute be there?" LL: He nods. "Yes, I suppose that's acceptable." Kyle suddenly chuckles. "Is there something going on between you and Mute?" AC: Duck shrugs a shoulder, a soft blush on her cheeks. "Um, no? I. I don't think so? We're just friends.." LL: Kyle chuckles. "I see you blushing young lady. I think he's good for you. Don't worry. I won't meddle." After a pause, he continues. "We should get to your birthday present, as he'd like to get started as soon as possible." AC: Her blush deepens and she wipes at her eyes again, sniffling. "Um, okay who's. Who's he?" LL: Kyle presses a button on his phone. "Send him in." A few moments later, the door opens, and a doctor comes in. "Sir," He nods to Kyle, then turns to look at you. "You must be Duck. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Dr. Murphy." LL: Kyle nods. "Before the war, Dr. Murphy worked at his clinic in London. He was one of the top experts in the field of Gender Affirmation." AC: Duck turns her gaze to the doctor, her eyes flicking between her father and the man now in the room. All that was before the war, um, right? That, "So he? I mean,..?" LL: "Your father has managed to secure a supply of hormones for HRT, and to allow me to open my practice again. His price was that I take you as my first patient, which I am more than happy to do." AC: She won't have to avoid looking in the mirror anymore. "Yes," her voice cracks just slightly, "please, ohgoodness." She brings a hand to her face. Is this worth.. a life though? She... LL: The doctor smiles. "Lovely. I'll have to do an examination, and do some blood tests, but we can get you started on the hormones next week provided everything goes all right?" He looks to Kyle for confirmation, and he nods. "You can take your first pill the morning of your birthday." AC: "Okay," she nods, "Um, that.. that was all this morning?" She looks to her father. LL: He nods. "I'll have a meeting with Mute, and then after lunch you can execute him. Your first act as queen." The doctor holds out his hand. "Shall we?" AC: Oh good Lord. Well, she's not going to eat then um. Duck rises from her seat, nodding at the doctor, though she keeps her hands firmly clenched in her skirt. LL: "See you soon, Duck," Kyle says, as you head out the door. Category:Duck Category:Carter